The Anambra State Government on Friday announced the commencement of an empowerment programme tagged Entrepreneurship Start-up (YES).

The programme is designed to create on an annual basis 300 youth entrepreneurs who will also be employers of labour.

Addressing a press conference in Awka the state capital, the Commissioner of Youth Empowerment and Creative Economy, Mr. Afam Mbanefo, said that the YES program is taken to be a cooperate arm of the TRIPPLE ‘I’ initiative programme of Inventor, Investor, Initiative.

He said that the programme, which is mapped out for youths under the age of 18 to 35, is a special empowerment initiative of the Ministry in partnership with UNIZIK Business School.

The commissioner said: “This programme is specifically designed to create, on an annual basis, 300 youth entrepreneurs who will also be employers of labour.

“The core objective of this programme is hinged on assembling 300 creative and innovative youths with good business potentials and prospects and training them in core business principles in different areas.

“Upon completion of the training, that successful trainees shall serve as interns at different establishment of our potential donors for a period of 3 months and above.”

According to the Commissioner, the areas of concentration include, To to identify a viable business, how to make good business plan, how to nurture, execute and sustain a good business, how to present a business proposal for grant winning business, exposure to various donor agencies locally, nationally and globally for grants and exposure to various modules of business management skills by business scholars and successful entrepreneurs.

Mbanefo added that at the end of the programme, 100 participants with the beat business plan would be selected and funded up to the tune of five million naira, to be disbursed in tranches upon satisfactory execution of the agreed business implementation.

He called for financial assistance from well-meaning Anambra men and women, cooperate organisation, among others to be able to empower the 100 finalists with the best business plan.

The Commissioner further declared that the online portal for the registration shall be open for interested participants from November 15 to January 15, 2020 on www.anambrayouths.ng.

In his speech, the Director, UNIZIK Business School, Prof A. U. Nonyelu, hailed the initiative of the state government to change the lifestyle of youths so as to help them better their lives and in the long run better the society.

He said that youths can change when they are occupied with initiatives that will profit their lives.

Nonyelu assured that the UNIZIK Business School will mentor and monitor the selected youths for one year to ensure their businesses don’t collapse in the long run.

He said that “the aim of the programme is to get youths off the street and in so doing change their lifestyle.”

•Anambra Commissioner of Youth Empowerment and Creative Economy, Afam Mbanefo, addressing journalists

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